The English language hasn't really changed much since Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his stories so you should have no trouble with the language. A book like the Fairie Queen or the works of Shakespeare are more likely to trip you up due to the changes of meaning, spelling and antiquated terms than Doyle's writing. Some things like gasogene's and acid stained deal desks might confuse since we don't use such things anymore but they don't cause much problem, and if you can find a copy of the 2 volume set of "The Annotated Sherlock Holmes" you will find good data for understanding such bits and pieces.

If you are reading a paper version of the stories, just make sure you get a version that uses modern fonts. Nothing is worse to read than the font styles of 19th century newspapers; I've got a Holmes anthology in that format and it is just annoying.

The edition I have (Barnes and Noble Classics) has footnotes for any word or expression that would trip up a modern reader. I find them very convenient. Obviously this version is not meant for Kindle (and I have no idea how footnotes survive a conversion?) but there is probably something equivalent for Kindle.

The edition I have (Barnes and Noble Classics) has footnotes for any word or expression that would trip up a modern reader. I find them very convenient. Obviously this version is not meant for Kindle (and I have no idea how footnotes survive a conversion?) but there is probably something equivalent for Kindle.

eP

Barnes & Nobles has apparently started selling their Classics Editions on places other than the nook store, so you can now get them from Sony and for the Kindle. I don't know if all of them are available on Kindle or not. Freading also has them if your library offers that, but it's only in epub format.

Also, on my Sony Reader, the footnotes in the B&N Classics Edition of The Wizard of Oz are hyperlinked both ways (selecting the footnote will take you to the list of footnotes/endnotes, then selecting the number again will take you back to the text) although the Sony handles position history natively.